I started this blog in 2009 to document what I ate, what I read, and how much I ran leading up to the NYC marathon. While I did manage to drag myself over the finish line, I have since decided I am not a marathon runner. I have also decided that while running, food, and reading are no longer the centre of my life, they remain an integral part of helping me centre and appreciate my life. They help me realize that it's not that serious...

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Monday, March 14, 2011

WAKE UP!!!!!!

That was directed at me, not you. So you can sit back down and relax.

For the past week or so, I have been really, really tired. I tried writing about it a whole bunch of times, but trust me when I tell you, it was really, really boring. And I don't want to waste even more second thinking about it since it is over now.

So instead, I am going to give you the top 5 things that helped me wake me up:

1. Running my first full 5k of 2011. Without stopping. Ok, so it was on the treadmill ( I really, really, really wanted to run outside this week but it was grey and cold and snow/raining for 5 days straight.) but I felt so strong when I was running and so energized when I finished. I even went on to do these super-lunges. Ten on each leg, no less! And three days later, my butt is still reminding me how hard I worked.

2. Edamame Salad

1 cups frozen edamame's (cook according to instructions on package)

2 cups arugula

1 large tomato, chopped and seeded

1/4 cup crumbled good quality feta cheese (light or poor quality will taste like nothing or plastic neither of which are good options)

2 tbsp chopped dill

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

s & p to taste

Mix it all together and serve immediately. Otherwise the arugula gets soggy and the dill takes over and it just isn't the same...Not only does this taste amazing but it is hard to find fresh vegetables with colours more vibrant than the arugula, tomato, and edamame.

3. The Bucolic Plague: This book makes me want to be a gay goat farmer...so to speak. I LOVED it. The writing is amazing, both hilarious and heart-breaking, the story is so unique, and commitment of these two men to both each other and to living their dream is beyond admirable. Right now I am really into memoirs, such as this and Committed: A Love Story, which I finished last month, because they allow me to answer the question that I always have after finishing a great book: what happened next. Since finishing The Bucolic Plague, I have since become a loyal follower of their website, beekman1802.com. So should you.

4. My son giving me the most amazing AHA! moment (props to Oprah for that catchphrase). He enlightened me on the Jewish story of Purim and why we dress up (for those of you who are not members of the tribe, Purim is sort of like the Jewish Hallowe'en: we dress up and give each other treats). He explained that it is because the miracles that occurred in this ancient tale were "disguised miracles," or miracles that G-d made happen through the actions of humans without ever making his presence known. The reason I loved this so much is because for me, it explains all of the crazy things that always happen to me, such as the Wineglass Marathon. This concept helps me understand why things happen, both the very good, the very bad and the crazily coincidental. It is so comforting to know that each and every day, I am bombarded with all of these disguised miracles.

5. Watching one of my students crawl through a tree on an Outdoor Education trip. This is a student who I would have never pegged as being brave enough to attempt this even once, let alone the 3 times! She sort-of got stuck halfway and I thought to myself, "this is one of the make or break moments of her life." But she perservered, and with the students cheering her on, she made it! The other kids went nuts! What makes me so happy about this experience is that for the rest of her life, when faced with adversity, this student will be able to remember this moment and think, "I can!"

Here is a picture of me halfway through the tree so you can get an idea of what I am talking about.

The moral of the story (and my new favorite saying):

You can't say "I can't" unless you try first.

Think about it.

Me and My Hubby and our New BFF, Prime Minister Stephen Harper

PS. I met Prime Minister Stephen Harper this week. And we had a full-on conversation. And I made slightly less of a fool of myself than I did when I met Michael Ondaatje a few years ago by bragging that "I had read the book before seeing the movie." Just though you would like to know.